Faith
by Black Knight 03
Summary: Everyone carries the scar of the war in their own ways. Some scars you can see, others you can’t. After the war, Luna begins to lose faith in the things she’s held dear for years. One-shot HP-LL


Disclaimer – J. K. Rowling owns Harry Potter.

A/N – Written for clever claws 2009 feast over on LJ. Thanks to my phil urich and csi tokyo for their help with this thing.

Leaning against a shovel, Harry watched as Luna wandered about the yard of her home. With the Lovegood's home rebuilt, attention now turned to fixing up the grounds that had been damaged. Currently, Harry was helping Luna plant a crabapple tree to replace one that had been destroyed in the explosion last winter.

As the mid-summer heat poured down on them, Harry took off his glasses and wiped the sweat that was dripping into his eyes. While he just wished Luna would pick a spot, he knew that she had her own way of doing things. In fact, as he watched, it was almost as if she was talking to the Earth.

_I wonder what that conversation's like?_

With Luna moving on to another spot, Harry considered the alternative. He could've been back at the Burrow, where things were slowly getting back to normal, considering everything that had happened. But he was growing restless, and becoming tired of the not so subtle hints of either how he should get back together with Ginny, or how it was nearing time for Hogwarts to be reopening its doors now that the repairs were almost completed.

Last year, he most likely would've been thrilled with both options, but something had changed. He wasn't completely against them; it was just that his heart wasn't in them.

"Harry," Luna's soft voice called out.

Slipping his glasses back on, he glanced over to where her voice had come from.

"Here," she told him, and pointed to a spot in the yard. As Harry walked over to her with the shovel, she reexamined the spot with a smile, satisfied with her selection.

Stepping back, she watched as Harry thrust the shovel in to the ground and began to dig.

"It must be hard at the Weasleys," Luna said.

"Well," Harry replied while grunting as he lifted another shovel full of dirt up out of the hole. "It's getting back to normal. But things are a bit… quiet without Fred. around."

"I meant for you," she told him. "Everything building up for one moment, and now that its past," she said, trailing off at the end.

Thrusting the shovel into the hole, Harry paused as he again wiped the sweat from his eyes. "I've tried not to think about it. I'm trying to live in the moment now and all that junk."

"I still think Ginny and you are making the right choice. It would be foolish to rush back in, especially when your hearts are not in it. If the fates decide that you belong together, they will find a way to do so."

Sparing her a quick glance before he returned to digging, he asked her, "How did you know?" _It's Luna, she sees and understands more than anyone ever gives her credit for._

"It is a bit obvious," she replied. "It most likely would've happened by now, and I've also talked to Ginny a few times. She doesn't talk about you in quiet the same way as before."

Harry nodded as he dumped another shovelful of dirt. "Maybe another bloke has caught her eye. We were apart for almost a year."

"Then she has talked to you about Neville," Luna said.

"In not so many words," he told her, resting against the shovel as he looked at Luna. "But we both pretty much agreed that things had changed, that i_if_/i, like you said, we were meant to be together, it'd take some time. Also, should something come along we wouldn't hate the other for trying to find something with someone else."

"That's very adult of you, Harry."

"I'm not always an insensitive little prat," he said sarcastically, and grinned when Luna laughed. "Neville has always had a crush on Ginny, and I really can't fault either of them if they want to at least try. There could be no one else I'd trust her with more than him, and, I've always kind of thought it'd be foolish of me to just expect Ginny to be waiting for me to return and pick up where we left off."

Returning to digging, he asked "What about you and Dean?"

Luna gave him her normal, airy smile. "Dean is a friend, a good friend, but I cannot see him as anything beyond that."

Simply nodding, Harry stopped digging, deciding that the hole was big enough. Dropping the shovel to the ground, Harry walked to gather the crab apple tree and Luna went to fetch the water pail.

By the time Luna returned with the pail full of water, Harry was placing the tree in the hole. Kneeling down, as he made a few adjustments to the hole, he asked Luna, "Are you and your father going away this summer?"

"No," she answered while placing the water pail next to the hole.

"How come? No migrating Were-Tortoises through the Nordic sea?"

For the first time that Harry could remember, Luna seemed irritated. "I do not wish to talk of my father," she snapped shortly, or as close as Luna could ever come.

Harry studied her for a moment, puzzled a little. He knew Luna was upset about how her father had acted during the last year, but in hindsight, he didn't blame Mr. Lovegood for what he did. _He thought he was doing his best for his daughter. He just wanted to protect his little girl. Yea, it wasn't exactly in_ my _best interest, but he did what he thought was right. I guess Luna sees it another way._

"I'm sorry Luna," Harry told her as he straightened up, grabbing the shovel again. "I thought you enjoyed those summer trips."

"I did," she answered softly.

In the few years he had known her, he had never seen her like this. After everything she had been through, all the torment, even before getting involved in his life, she had always just seemed to brush things off. With a smile and a skip, she would carry on without a care.

Deciding to change the subject, Harry began to carefully toss the dirt back in the hole, covering the tree roots. "You're putting in a lot of time on making sure the yard is just right," he commented.

Then, as if a switch was flipped, Luna's face lit up. "My mother originally landscaped everything. She gathered bits and pieces from all over and brought them back home. I still remember helping her plant the second crab apple tree."

As Luna's eyes got a far away look, Harry paused and watched her. "You would have liked her, Harry. She was alot like us."

"Oh?"

Focusing her silvery eyes on him, "You are one of the most powerful wizards in the world; yet, you are out here, on a hot day, working the Muggle way. With a flip of a wand, we could've had the hole dug, tree planted and watered in mere minutes. But, like me, you would rather do the work."

"I never really thought about it," Harry admitted about using his magic; he was just so used to physical labor that he just naturally went with it. "And, I'm not one of the most powerful, no where near it really."

Luna brushed the last comment off with a wave of the hand. "My mother would say that people depend too much on their magic, and had forgotten how to really do things. She always made sure I knew how to perform even the most basic of tasks without magic."

As she trailed off, Luna looked upwards at the sky. "I look forward to seeing her again."

Finishing filling in the hole, and covering the roots, Harry's mind flashed back a bit. Back to when he was in the Forbidden Woods and he used the Resurrection Stone. He had seen his family one last time, for what he had thought would be before his own death. _I hope she's right, and we do see everyone again. But, not for a long time yet._

* * *

That night, Mrs. Weasley hosted a large family dinner, welcoming the Grangers back home. Hermione had left a few days after the final battle to gather her parents from the little vacation in Australia. They had returned a few days ago, and after settling back in at their home, the Grangers were now visiting the Burrow.

Knowing he would have plenty of time to spend time with his best friend, he let her get _reacquainted_ with Ron, while he wandered off a little bit.

As he walked, Harry not surprisingly found himself heading towards the small orchard where the Weasleys and he played pickup games of Quidditch. Entering the grove, Harry knew she had to be around here, somewhere amongst the trees.

Both she and her father had been invited, and he had seen her earlier in the evening. But after eating, with everyone else distracted, Luna had slipped away.

Coming around a cluster of close trees, Harry smirked as he saw Luna hanging upside down from a low branch in a nearby tree.

"Hello, Harry," Luna greeted him softly, not even having to open her eyes to see who it was.

"Just hanging around?" he asked with a smirk, as he walked up to her, and sat down on the ground against the trunk of the tree. "You've been quiet lately."

Getting no response from Luna, Harry sat there quietly next to her for a moment, thinking of the best thing to say next. Reaching out, he grabbed a small pebble, and holding it in his fingertips, rubbed his thumb over its smooth surface. "Should I have you checked for Wrackspurts?" he joked. "You have been acting a bit fuzzy lately."

He grinned a little when Luna cocked her head towards him, and peered at him through slightly open eye lids. Continuing to run his thumb over the pebble, he turned his head to Luna. "I do listen to you. I may not understand it, but I listen."

"There are no such things as Wrackspurts," she told him, with a bit of an edge to her voice that was very unusual for the normally serene Luna.

Turning his head back, Harry looked out before him as he brought his arm back and flipped the pebble through the air. _I thought it was this. But how the hell do I deal with it? I don't exactly have the most stable family. Hermione or Ginny would be better for this. Plus, they're girls; they would have a hell of an easier time talking about this junk. Heck, Ron, insensitive prat and all, would be better talking about family than I would._

With a flip of the wrist, Harry sent the pebble sailing through the air. With things settling down, Harry had started to notice things were a bit strained between Luna and her father. They just didn't seem as close as they once were, but he had written off as a combination of the war and what had happened among her father and her friends the previous winter. _I guess things are a bit more strained than I thought. I get the feeling this goes deeper than just last winter._

Harry had a gut feeling that there was more to the story than just what he saw. He trusted his gut, even if it did lead him in to trouble more times than not.

"Never thought I'd hear you say that."

"Why's that?" Luna snapped, and with an acrobatic flip, dropped from the branch to her feet.

As she spun around on him, Harry quickly scrambled to his feet, alarmed at seeing Luna so out of character. _When the hell has she_ ever _been angry?_

"Because I'm the one who's supposed to believe in that rubbish!" Luna's voice cracking as she yelled. "So everyone can laugh in my face, and call me crazy or stupid. Mock me behind my back. So they can constantly take my belongings from me. Is that why I'm supposed to have the faith in those ridiculous things my father prints?"

"Luna," Harry said softly, not sure whether to raise his arms to defend himself or to try to comfort her.

Realizing what she was doing, Luna's posture softened and she took a deep, shaky breath. "I'm… sorry, Harry. I didn't mean to lash out at you like that."

"Luna… I had no idea," he stammered. As she turned away, embarrassed by her outburst, Harry walked over to her. "Why haven't you said anything?"

"What? That my father is a liar?" she asked rhetorically, continuing to turn away from him as Harry tried to move around her to face her. "That the _Quibbler_ is the joke everyone thinks it is?"

_Of all people to lose faith._ Getting an idea, Harry went with it. "How do you know they don't exist? Do you think Muggles would believe us if we told them dragons and giants exist? Or, how about how a bunch of goblins run a bank.

"And, the _Quibbler_ isn't a joke. Yea, some things may be a little… off, but it was your father who had the courage to print the article about me and Voldemort. That was true."

"I suppose."

"Besides, do you really think your father would honestly lie to you? I don't know much about parents, but it's sort of obvious how much he cares for you. You're all he has left, and he'd do anything to keep you safe." _I should know. I had to blow up half your home just to get away._

"Look, if you're crazy, than at least I'm in good company," he tried to joke.

"Luna, you're more than that. If those… if they don't realize that, than their idiots. You're more than just the girl who believes in these odd things. You've been with me through hell and back, and you've helped me in ways I'm not sure I even understand half the time. I just know you were one of the few who actually believed in me when it seemed like the whole world turned against me, again. In an odd way, it's comforting knowing you and the others are still with me.

"I saw that painting you did of us, all of us I mean, in your bedroom. It's a shame more people don't get to see that side of you. Or, I guess they just don't bother to take the time to look.

"Something else," he continued, gently laying a hand on her shoulder. "I hope you're right. One day, many years from now, we finally get to see our families again."

_What a sap. I sound like an idiot. I'm no good with emotions and junk like this. I'm just going to make things worse. _Harry feeling awkwardly, dropped his hand from Luna's shoulder. "I know I'm not the best when it comes to stuff like this, but if you feel like talking, I'll listen." Shifting his weight from foot to foot, he ran his fingers through his mess of hair.

"You know the trip I was planning, why don't you come with me? We can go searching for Bubbling Hummingdeckers, or whatever else is out there. Who knows what we'll find."

Luna laughed softly at Harry. "Blibbering Humdingers," she corrected him, as she finally turned to face him. "What about Hogwarts?"

"I can wait. There's nothing saying I can't go next summer. It's not like I have to worry about making it through the year anymore."

Stepping closer, she hugged Harry. "That sounds nice." Then, leaning upwards, she gently kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Harry."

"Yea, well… you're welcome," Harry muttered as he nervously ran a hand through his hair. Shifting nervously as Luna stepped back, Harry tried to ignore the odd feeling in his gut. More times than not, she would confuse the hell out of him. But, he had also found a weird sense of comfort and confidence from her too. Lately, he found himself spending more time around her, and his thoughts were getting complicated.

"We should probably get back before they start to notice. Mrs. Weasley made a couple of cakes for dessert

Before either moved, Harry glanced around. "Or, we could spend some time looking for Humdingers?"

Luna smiled at him. "Don't be silly, Harry. Blibbering Humdingers don't come out at night," she told him as she slipped her smaller hand in to his larger one. "Now, Moon Frogs, they're out at night. They very small, and have a light silvery skin tone."

_What have I gotten myself in to?_ he joked to himself. Harry just smirked and shook his head as he let Luna lead him off as she continued to go on about the Moon Frogs.


End file.
